Heroes Shed No Tears - Gu Long

[Jayariyin]

Thanks, deathblade.

[deathblade]

Chapter 6 – Seven Story Buddhist Pagoda

Part 3

It had stopped snowing. An old monk had brought tea and then left.

Sometimes coming, sometimes going, sometimes falling, sometimes stopping. The pitiless snowflakes and the indifferent old monk were both like this.

And people?

Aren’t people this way too?

**

Sima Chaoqun was again sitting on the prayer mat, drinking from the same unfinished bottle of cold alcohol. A long time had passed when he suddenly asked Zhuo Donglai: “Who was that person?”

“Which person?”

Sima gave a cold laugh. “You know which person. The reason you told me not to give chase was because you were afraid of him.”

Zhuo Donglai stood and walked to the window. He opened it, closed it, then turned to face Sima.

“There are many great masters in the martial world, and many unique skills. When two masters face each other, victory and defeat is usually determined by their current situation and circumstances. Ever since Little Li’s Flying Dagger went into retirement, there are almost no truly unmatched masters left.”

“Almost none left? Or absolutely none left?”

“I can’t be certain.” Zhuo Donglai’s voice seemed a bit hoarse. “But someone once told me that in one of the lesser known places of the world, there is a person like that.”

“Who?” Sima Chaoqun seemed suddenly moved. “Who is this person?”

“He is surnamed Xiao. The same character Xiao as the line from the poem, ‘the desolate waters of the river Yishui.’ His full name is Xiao Leixue.” (1)

**

“The ghastly aura of the sword, the desolate waters of the river Yishui,
Heroes shed no tears, their tears become righteous shed blood.”(2)

Gao Jianfei thought he must be sleeping. It had happened when he was unwrapping his sword. He had suddenly fallen into a dream and flew up into the air.

Actually, he really couldn’t tell what was a dream and what was real. When someone uses a delicate and ingenious method to seal your pressure points and send you into unconsciousness, you will usually be like this.

When he awoke, he heard someone singing softly. Within the quiet singing there seemed to be the ghastly spirit of a sword, and an indescribable, desolate melancholy.

“The wanderer sings three songs, and sings only for heroes;
The wanderer never settles down, the heroes shed no tears.”

**

The singing stopped suddenly, and the singer slowly turned around. A waxen, yellow face; a pair of tired, expressionless eyes; a set of simple gray clothes.

A quiet and ordinary person, in whose hand was clasped a solitary, old-fashioned, ordinary box.

Part 5

“Xiao Leixue!”

The cold alcohol burned like fire in Sima Chaoqun’s heart and veins. And yet his heart was not warm. “What kind of person is he? Have you ever seen him?”

“I haven’t. No one has ever seen him. Even if someone saw him, they wouldn’t know who he was.”

Part 6

The wind blew urgently and coldly. It was very urgent, and extremely cold.

They were up high, on the top level of the great seven story Buddhist pagoda.

“It’s you. You again.” Gao Jianfei looked around disappointedly. “Who are you anyway? Why did you bring me to another damn place like this?”

“This place isn’t damned. But if I hadn’t brought you here, someone’s soul would have been damned. A soul dead and damned.”

“And the dead, damned soul would be me?” (2)

“Yes.”

“How do you know I would have died?”

“Because of your sword.”

In the man’s tired, expressionless eyes, there seemed to suddenly shine a bit of light. Just like the star that hangs forever on the horizon of the far north; remote, mysterious, and bright.

“Past events vanish like smoke; the famous swords of the past are buried deep. That sword of yours is an unparalleled weapon. No sword in the past five hundred years could match up to it.”

“Oh?”

“The person who made it was the first great master to appear after Ou Yezi, and was also the greatest swordsman of his time.(3) But in his entire life, he never used this sword. In fact, he never even unsheathed it for others to see.”

“Why?”

“Because the sword is too terrible. If it is unsheathed, it must drink human blood.”

His face was expressionless, because it was covered with wax-like disguise material. But in his eyes could be seen an unspeakable sadness.

“When this sword came out of the forge, the master could see its evil air, an incurable evil. And so, he couldn’t help but shed tears. The tears dropped onto the sword, and left behind tearstains.”

“So that’s where the tearstains on the sword come from?”

“Yes.”

“If the master could see the demonic air of the sword, why didn’t he just destroy it?”

“Because the sword was created too perfectly. Who in the world,” he said, “would have the heart to take the perfect result of painstaking effort, and simply destroy it? Besides, after the sword left the forge, it became a magical weapon. Perhaps you could destroy its form, but not its spirit. And sooner or later, what it required would be paid.”

Little Gao finally understand what he meant. “There are some things in heaven and earth that cannot be exterminated.”

“And so, if you drew the sword today, then you would die under it. Because today, you were definitely not a match for Sima Chaoqun.” He stared at Little Gao. “Now you should be able to understand, even if it’s a fair duel, it isn’t completely fair.”

“Oh?”

“When a person reaches a certain point, and gains enough power, they can create situations to weaken an opponent’s power, and ensure their own victory. This type of thing usually leads others into extreme misery.” This was a fact. A cruel and ruthless fact.

Little Gao had no ability to offer denial. Because now he was finally beginning to see clearly, to learn the lesson of heartbreak.

“Therefore, if you really want to go up against Sima Chaoqun, the only method is to catch him by surprise, to assassinate him. Because you will never truly have an opportunity to have a fair fight with him.

Little Gao’s fists were clenched.

“Why are you telling me these things,” he asked. “Why did you save me?”

“I didn’t kill you, and I don’t want you to die by another’s hand.”

“And you don’t want this sword to fall into another’s hand.”

“Correct.” His answer was very straightforward.

“But you already have the most fearsome weapon in the world,” said Little Gao. “Don’t tell me you want this sword too?”

“I don’t,” he replied coolly. “If I wanted it, it would be mine already.”

Little Gao couldn’t argue with this point. “Then, what relationship do you have with it? Is there some special connection between you and the sword?”

The man’s hand suddenly shot forward and grasped Little Gao’s wrist.

Little Gao began sweating, a cold, painful sweat that covered his whole body.

He knew that he had touched his person, touched his heart in a way that he did not wish to be touched.

How could a person as strong and callous as this have a weak spot in his heart?

“Your box and my sword are both products of the same hand. Do you and I also have some special connection? Why don’t you tell me the truth?”

Little Gao had to ask these questions, even if his wrist shattered. He had to ask.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get an answer.

The man had already let go of his wrist, and flew off of the giant pagoda.

A sheet of silvery white surrounded the giant pagoda; the man and his box disappeared like a snowflake into the whiteness.

**

The sky was beginning to darken. Little Gao had stood there for a long time, thinking. There were many things he just couldn’t figure out.

He just could not collect his thoughts.

No matter what he started thinking about, he couldn’t help but end up thinking about her.

—Who was she? Where did she come from? Where did she go?

—Who were the people trying to kill her? Did she really meet him because Sima Chaoqun wanted her to, because he wanted Little Gao to fall in love with her?

—Did she really leave because Sima Chaoqun wanted her to? In order to make Little Gao heartbroken and hopeless?

Regardless, Little Gao was determined to find her, and make things clear.

But, there was no way to find her.

He had no idea where to even start looking.

He was a young person making his way for the first time in Jianghu, with no experience, no friends, no one to help him. What was he supposed to do?

Other than using his sword to kill people, what was he capable of?

Who could he kill? Who should he kill?

Who could tell him?

**

The sky was darker, the evening bell had sounded, and the fragrant aroma of congee and rice wafted up from the kitchen in the rear courtyard. A few monks, late to arrive, hurried back in their cleats to catch their evening meal.

The cleats treading on the ice and snow made Little Gao suddenly think of Zhu Meng.

Zhu Meng in Luoyang.

**

(1) As I mentioned before, I will transliterate given names. Xiao Leixue’s name is pretty unique, and doesn’t sound like a real person’s name. The Xiao part is a common surname, but the character itself also means “desolate or dreary,” as Zhuo Donglai emphasizes when he explains which “xiao” character it is. Incidentally, that poem is from the Song Dynasty, and is a relatively sad poem written to a departing loved one. The Leixue part of his name contains two characters. The first is 泪 as in “tears.” The second is 血 as in “blood.” So his given name could also be literally translated as “Tears of Blood” or “Blood Tears.”
(2) Okay, I apologize, but after knocking my head against the wall for, well for a while, I couldn’t think of a really good colloquial way to translate the Chinese here. And the literal translation just doesn’t make sense in English, and doesn’t sound cool. There is some word play based on the expression 见鬼 jian gui, which literally means to see a ghost, but is usually translated as a mild epithet such as damn, or hell, or something like that. You see this expression in the subtitles of English movies a lot. The original Chinese is better than my translation, and here is how it would be literally translated: “Why did you suddenly again bring me to a ‘see a ghost’ place like this?” “You cannot see ghosts in this place. But if I didn’t bring you to this place, you would see a ghost. A newly dead ghost.” “This newly dead ghost is me?”
(3) Ou Yezi was a famous sword maker from the Spring and Autumn period http://goo.gl/Jd8J9R

[ycb5959]

Thanks for a new one!

[Jayariyin]

Thanks, deathblade.

[Ysabelkid]

Woots... deathblade. Trying to keep up.

[deathblade]

Chapter 7 – The Lion Clan Hall of Copper Camel alley

Part 1

The sixth day of the second month of the lunar calendar.

Luoyang.

Luoyang was the location of the capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Western Jin Dynasty, the Wei State during the Warring States period, the Sui Dynasty, the Later Tang Dynasty, and seven others. To its east lay the Tiger Cage Pass, to the west the Guanzhong Plain, to the north the Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures, to the south the Jiangnan region.(1) Its palaces and watchtowers were magnificent.

Emperor Song Taizu’s birthplace of Jia Ma Ying, the Temple of Eastern Greatness built during the later Tang Dynasty, Fu Fei from the “Rhapsody of the Goddess of Luo” by the poet Cao Zhi, Laozi’s ancient residence in Copper Camel alley, the ancient bridge “Spring Waters under Tianjin,” are all still there.

But Gao Jianfei’s will was not there.

He hadn’t come to visit these ancient and famous places. He came for one place, one person. He wanted to find the Lion Clan hall, Zhu Meng’s Lion Clan.

And he found it.

The Lion Clan headquarters was located in Copper Camel alley, the same area as Laozi’s ancient residence. It occupied almost the entire alley.

Little Gao found it very quickly.

In his imagination, the Lion Clan hall was an ancient and immense building. Even if it wasn’t extremely imposing and beautiful, it would definitely be spacious and open, emanating loftiness, just like Zhu Meng himself.

He was correct. The Lion Clan hall really was like that. But there was one thing that he never imagined: that this ancient, immense, spacious building would be burned into rubble.

Other than a few rooms in the back, the Lion Clan hall, which had dominated Luoyang for so many years, had been completely destroyed by raging fire.

**

Gao Jianfei’s heart sank.

The wind cut like a knife. Some of the debris in the rubble was tossed about by the frigid breeze. Was the debris the remains of a wooden beam, or of a person’s bones?

The Lion Clan hall, which in the past had constantly been filled with visitors like snow in a snowstorm, was now devoid of even a single human shadow.

Copper Camel alley, a place filled with ancient legends and modern-day heroes, was now only filled with misery and somber melancholy.

Time brings great changes (2), and the affairs of people are in constant flux, but this type of change was too quick and too horrible.

—When did it happen? How did it happen?

—The daring, energetic and exceedingly proud Zhu Meng, his disciples, and his veteran masters… where had they gone?

**

Little Gao thought of Zhuo Donglai, about his methods, about his sinister and ruthless cool-headedness.

And now, he couldn’t help but think about all the things that had happened that day in the snow-filled Red Flower Bazaar, all the details.

And he suddenly understood why Zhuo Donglai let Zhu Meng go that day.

With Zhu Meng in Chang’an, the defenses of the Luoyang headquarters would definitely be lax. His best opportunity was to dispatch people at double speed to launch a surprise attack.

Zhuo Donglai would certainly have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time.

At the moment that he raised his glass to toast Zhu Meng, the surprise attack forces were most certainly already on their way.

And this was the result of the surprise attack.

At the exact time that Zhu Meng felt the safest and most victorious, he had actually already been vanquished.

And this time his defeat was utterly brutal.

**

Little Gao’s hands and feet were freezing.

He couldn’t imagine how Zhu Meng would be able to handle such a massive strike, but he believed that he couldn’t be completely knocked down.

As long as Zhu Meng lived, he couldn’t be defeated by anyone.

And now the only thing Little Gao could think about was that Zhu Meng must be hurrying back to get revenge. And Zhuo Donglai would most definitely have a trap ready to be sprung in Chang’an, waiting for Zhu Meng to return.

If Zhu Meng had already reached Chang’an, then his chances of returning alive were small.

Whoever was attacked in such a vicious way would definitely be filled with impatient fury and carelessness.

And the slightest bit of carelessness could lead to a fatal mistake.

Zhuo Donglai’s plans never were the least bit careless, and when he thought about this, Little Gao’s heart became cold. And at that moment he made a decision.

He would return to Chang’an as quickly as possible. Whether, Zhu Meng was dead or alive, he would return.

If Zhu Meng was still alive, maybe he could help his friend.

He still had his two hands and a sword and his own life.

If Zhu Meng had already died under Zhuo Donglai’s hands, then he could collect his friend’s corpse, and then do everything in his power to seek revenge.

Regardless of anything, Zhu Meng was the only person who had ever considered him as a friend.

And Zhu Meng was his only friend.

He didn’t completely understand the meaning of the world “friend,” because he had never had a friend before.

But he had spirit.

The spirit of chivalry, the spirit of courage, the spirit of brotherhood and loyalty.

—Because the world has people with this spirit, justice can prevail over evil, and humanity will continue to exist forever.

But unfortunately, at this moment, no matter where Gao Jianfei wanted to go, it would be very difficult to do so.

**

(1) These are all geographical references. Here are links if you would like more information. Tiger Cage/Hulao pass: http://goo.gl/vgNGYy. Guanzhong Plain: http://goo.gl/6iwrvc. Sixteen Prefectures: http://goo.gl/ILCbsC. Jiangnan region: http://goo.gl/9m7ZU
(2) This is a cool idiom which literally translates something like “from seas into mulberry fields.

[ycb5959]

Thanks - another great update!

[Ysabelkid]

Thanks deathblade for another quick update.

[Jayariyin]

Thanks, deathblade.

[deathblade]

Chapter 7 – The Lion Clan Hall of Copper Camel alley

Part 2

What moments ago had been a quiet alley without a soul in it, was suddenly full of people.

A person wearing brown clothes appeared, no more than four feet tall, with a horse-like face nearly one foot wide. His eyebrows looked like two brooms tied together by a knotted piece of rope.

He did not appear to be very old, but he had an air of maturity. The narrow eyes under his dense brows glittered. As soon as he caught sight of Little Gao, his eyes fixed onto him like nails.

Little Gao had seen this person before.

When you see a person like this, it’s hard to forget them.

Little Gao remembered that he had been selling sliced rice cakes on the street outside the alley. He had been using a long, sharp, thin knife to cut the date-flavored sweet cakes.

The knife was currently sheathed at his waist.

It wouldn’t be difficult to use this knife to cut a person into pieces.

**

As soon as he appeared, the alley was suddenly full of noise and people. It seemed as if everyone that had been outside on the main street suddenly entered, just like tidewater. And Little Gao was submerged.

Little Gao felt like he had suddenly walked into a lively temple fair. Every direction was filled with people, all kinds of people. Not even a drop of water could get through. One could not even move.

He wasn’t really sure how to deal with the situation, because he had never encountered anything like this.

The cake-seller had originally been right in front of him, but now he was nowhere to be seen.

He was too short, and to find him would be really difficult. But, if he wanted to use his knife to stab someone from within the crowd, it would be easier than cutting a cake.

Little Gao didn’t want to be near a knife like that.

He had to find the man. It was obvious that he was some sort of leader.

“I want to buy sliced sweet cakes!” he suddenly called. “Whoever was selling the cakes, where did you go?”

“I didn’t go anywhere,” came the reply, a deep husky voice. “I’m right here.”

The voice was coming from behind Little Gao. He turned around, but still couldn’t see the man.

But he heard him call out again, and then he realized that he couldn’t see him because he still hadn’t lowered his head.

A person that short, in a crowd, couldn’t be found unless you dropped your head down.

“Can you see me?” asked Little Gao. “I still can’t see you. How can we do business?”

“The problem is easy to solve.”

Little Gao suddenly squatted down. He couldn’t see the faces of the others in the crowd, but right in front of him was the long, wide horse-like face.

“Now we can do businesses, right?”

The man smiled, and the corners of his mouth nearly reached his ears. “You really want to buy sliced sweet cakes?”

“Other than buying cakes, is there any other business to discuss? Any other business to do?”

“No, there isn’t.”

“Then I’ll just buy some sliced sweet cakes.”

“How much do you want to buy?”

“How much can you sell?”

“As long as you pay the price, I can sell any amount.”

“How expensive are your cakes?”

“That depends.”

“Depends on what?”

“Depends on the person.”

“Depends on the person?” Little Gao didn’t understand. “Selling sweet cakes depends on the person?”

“Of course it depends on the person. The price of the sweet cakes is determined by what type of person wants to buy.”

Adjusting the price based on the customer is definitely one of the secrets to successful business.

“For some people who want to buy sweet cakes, I sell them at two coins per half kilo. For other people, I won’t sell for even five hundred gold bars. Because I don’t like the way they look.”

“What about me,” asked Little Gao. “Do you like the way I look?”

The man examined him for a long time, from top to bottom. The narrow eyes underneath his heavy brows glittered like knives. “Did you come from Chang’an.”

“Yes.”

“What’s in that cloth package of yours? Is it a sword?”

“Yes.”

“The reason you came from Chang’an … is it Great Master Zhu of the Lion Clan?”

“Yes.”

The man suddenly smiled again, revealing a set of ghastly white teeth. “Then I don’t think we can do business.”

“Why?”

“Because dead people can’t eat sweet cakes, and I don’t sell sweet cakes to dead people.”

**

Little Gao’s palms had already started sweating, a cold sweat.

If the people crowding in all directions suddenly pressed forward, they could easily crush him to death, and he would be powerless to stop them.

He could hear that some of the people in the crowd were breathing heavily from excitement. People usually get excited before killing.

The crowd was beginning to press forward, and the cake-seller had already drawn the knife from his waist.

Little Gao suddenly realized something. The most frightening thing in the world is people; when manpower is pooled together, it is more frightening than any powerful thing in the world.

But he was still able to keep his cool. Because he could see that all these people were members of the Lion Clan. Like him, they had all stood by Zhu Meng. So he said, “I’m here from Chang’an, and my bundle does contain a deadly sword, but I’m not here to kill Zhu Meng.”

“Who are you here to kill?”

“I’m here to kill the same people as you. Because I’m the same as you, I’m a friend of Zhu Meng.”

“Oh?”

“I’m Gao, Gao Jianfei.”

“Are you the Gao Jianfei who wants to gradually fly?”

“Yes. You might as well go ask Zhu Meng if he has a friend like me.”

“I don’t need to ask.”

“Why?”

The cake-seller’s narrow eyes suddenly shone with a crafty smile. He laughed at Little Gao.

“You think I don’t know that you’re Zhu Meng’s friend?”

“You know?”

“It’s because I know that I’m going to kill you.”

**

Little Gao’s back was suddenly drenched, drenched with cold sweat.

The crowd once again began to surge forward. The cake-cutting knife was sharp, but in this short moment, he still had a chance to break the hand holding the knife, smash the nose in the middle of that horse-like face, and wipe the crafty, evil expression from those two eyes.

But he couldn’t act rashly.

He could kill the man, but not the tide of people around him, not completely.

If he used this flitting moment to kill the man, then he would most likely be chopped to pieces by some other random blade.

The cake seller laughed again, a sinister laugh. “You’re not dead yet, why haven’t you made a move?”

Before he finished his sentence, Little Gao, who had been squatting in front of him, suddenly stood up. He stood up and then shot straight up, as if a giant hand had just grabbed his collar and lifted him up, like a hand picking a green onion out of the ground.

This was a lightness kung fu not often seen in Jianghu, and it was a unique skill used to escape death.

Unfortunately, he was not a bird, and he didn’t have wings.

His body was relying on the strength of a single breath to fly up. As soon as the breath was used up, his body would fall again, and when he fell he would fall back into the crowd of people.

He understood this.

He knew that the people below him had already drawn their weapons, and were ready to kill. They were just waiting for his power to exhaust and for him to fall. And then, even if he drew his sword and killed some people, he too would inevitably die among the blood and corpses.

He didn’t want that to happen, and he also didn’t want to see the horrific sight of blood and flesh flying in every direction.

But he didn’t die.

At that exact moment, he suddenly saw a long rope flying toward him.

He didn’t see where the rope was flying from, or whose hands it was in.

But luckily, he saw it, and was able to grab it.

The rope was pulled forward, and his body was pulled forward as well.

He was pulled along like a kite, flying higher and higher.

It seemed like the person pulling the rope was moving forward. Little Gao couldn’t see the person, but he could hear a very familiar sound.

It was the sound of cleats running on snow.

Little Gao suddenly felt a warmth in his heart.

It was as if he could see a person, wearing a pair of cleats, grasping the tail of a horse, flying behind the horse like a kite.

It was as if he could see the person riding the horse, emanating an awe-inspiring and heroic spirit.

He’d known all along that Zhu Meng could not be knocked down by anyone.

[deathblade]

In honor of this translation I changed my avatar pic. It's from the cover of one of the Heroes Shed No Tears comic book adaptation. Cool huh？

And in case anyone is curious, here is my translation method:

Attachment 9687

Original Chinese text on the left of the screen, English on the right. Original Chinese on the iPad as well for quick dictionary lookup. I don't use translation software, except to look up words or phrases I'm having difficulty with. My main tools are Pleco, nCiku, google and baidu translate, as well as google and baidu search engines. And a cup of tea for good measure.

[ycb5959]

Thanks for updating regularly - I rarely fail to find an update whenever I check - and I check daily...

PS: Can't access the attachment...

[LuDongBin]

Same here. Cannot access attachment. Thks for the update.

[Ysabelkid]

Thanks deathblade for the update.

[deathblade]

Hm, weird about the attachment. Try this link: http://postimg.org/image/qjxdk8jpd/

[ycb5959]

meaningful indeed...
I thought it was coffee (am coffee addict )

[manic_miner]

Thanks for your work deathblade.

I haven't read any Gu Long for a while, I guess I'll start reading this one soon.

[Jayariyin]

Thanks, foxs.

[deathblade]

Thanks, foxs.

...... -____-

[deathblade]

Hey everyone, I'm in the midst of translating the next part, and I realized I made a relatively big mistake. I'll go back and fix it momentarily.

Basically, in the last part where Gao Jianfei gets saved, he actually doesn't see Cleats and Zhu Meng. He only hears the sounds of the cleats on the snow, and then he basically imagines seeing them. There are two usages of the word for "as if" that I should have included but didn't.

I remember when I read it the first time I was a little confused by this part, and it was because I was reading a bit too fast and didn't focus clearly on the specific details. Okay, well now back to translating. Will post another update quite soon.

Going back to fix in now...